A group of elite athletes joined Albanian Armed Forces today at a special ceremony attended by the Prime Minister Edi Rama, seven Albanian athletes, namely Luiza Gega, Briken Calja, Erkand Qerimaj, Alban Beqiri, Majlinda Kelmendi, Distria Krasniqi, Nora Gjakova, winners of Olympic, world and European medals. The seven were conferred the senior military officer rank of colonel, joining Albania’s Armed Forces.

Prime Minister Rama hailed the event as a milestone for Albanian sports and the country’s Armed Forces.

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Today is really a historic day for both the Albanian sports and the Armed Forces, because a group of elite sportswomen and sportsmen join the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania after having flown Albania’s national flag to the zenith of the world and European athletic performance.

It is also a very special day for this group that includes three Albanian champions from Kosovo, who as of today will join the Albanian champions from Albania under the same national flag, for the same mission and the same ambitions and common will to serve not only sports, but also the Armed Forces.

Including these champions and awarding them the most senior military officer rank of the colonel of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania, and other group that have been presented with other military ranks according to their accomplishments in sports, in addition to its symbolic, definitely represents an added moral value, an added professional value, because Albanian champion medal holders have now emerged from the dark part of being neglected and completely forgotten by the state and will now hold ranks among our servicemen, our army commanders and will join the ongoing efforts to take our army to a whole new level through the power of their example and make the example of their power available to the training and physical and psychological training of our armed forces.

I feel very relieved from a burden that our government is finally removing from its back of countless inherited burdens, because starting as of today we will dare look our champions in the eyes, as well as everybody else involved in sports, without feeling embarrassed for their poor treatment or neglect.

On the other hand, it is extremely important for these children around this rostrum and for all the children, all young Albanian girls and boys be motivated to do and pursue sports and work hard to follow the lead of our champions and make them believe that they will take the floor at this rostrum after having made their way to the podiums in the international sport arenas and they won’t be the forgotten champions, they won’t be abandoned people as they will receive not only a decent pay until their last active day, but also a pension according to their rank and will be provided the opportunity to ensure deserved contribution to their families.

The reward and the remuneration for the lowest-ranking serviceman in the Armed Forces of Albania today is significantly higher than the minimum wage, but it will keep increasing year by year, as we have constantly done and we will continue increasing the monthly wages for the members of the Armed Forces and it is our ambition that all of those joining the armed forces, when dispatched for international missions, be on par with other servicemen from the NATO member states. Our servicemen will receive the highest average wage of NATO countries and this won’t happen in the next ten years, but in the few coming years.

To cut it short, I would like to recall one of the most beautiful memories of this whole period during which I have had the incredible privilege and the honour to head the government and this memory has to do with the meeting I had with the two Olympic champion medal holders from Kosovo, together with their coach, the master Driton Kuka, last summer, when they were so kind to come together with their gold medal and the only think they asked was granting them the opportunity to become citizens of the Republic of Albania and obtain the red and black passport of the Republic of Albania.

They are among us today, not only as citizens of the Republic of Albania, but also as bright examples shining in the eyes of young boys and girls, an example of talent, strong will, success and patriotism.

God bless the Armed Forces of Albania and may the Albanian nation be proud of them forever.

Thank you!